Fair Havens

Fair Havens (Greek Kaloi Limenes, "good harbors") was a small harbor on the south coast of Crete near Lasea where the Alexandrian grain ship carrying Paul to Rome took refuge after weeks of bad weather (Acts 27:8-12). They had arrived too late in autumn to continue safely. Paul warned the centurion Julius and the ship's captain that sailing on would result in "injury and much loss... of our lives," but the harbor was deemed unsuitable for wintering. The majority pressed on toward sheltered Phoenix forty miles west — a decision that led directly to the fourteen-day storm and shipwreck on Malta. The harbor still bears the name Kaloi Limenes today.